What is your naptime schedule?

[Marie]

I am currently trying to work on a new daily schedule for my group of daycare kids. As of right now I have two 12 month olds and one 14 month old. They all take two naps a day. I am just wondering what time your daycare kids go down for their naps, for those that still nap twice a day.

[Play and Learn]

I start nap time at 12:30 p.m. That being said, they usually don't fall asleep till 12:45-1 p.m.

I don't do morning naps if the children are 12 months or older. They just get a really long afternoon nap! I find it works better for the rest of us! That being said, if a little one falls asleep during our morning walks, I do let them sleep.

[KingstonMom]

I agree with Play and Learn that 12 months + do not have 2 naps.
I have 3 x 15 month olds (one is my own) and 1x 2.5 yr old. We have lunch at 11:30 and by 12:15 all of them are sleeping until 2:30.
I sometimes hear the older one chatting in her bed, that is fine, but nobody comes out of their rooms until 2:30. This works well for everyone and we have happy, energetic kids to play with outside in the afternoon.
It did take some getting used to for one of the younger ones, who was used to having a couple naps per day, but soon enough everyone is on the same schedule here!
It is a necessary break for me to clean up, out my feet up, and recharge my batteries.

[playfelt]

I still do the two naps for those that need it. If it starts to interfere with the afternoon nap then that is when I shorten it or cut it out. Normally we do story and snack from 8:30-9:00 and then morning nap is 9- no later than 10:30. That is when we go down to the basement playroom and the older kids get to do our group lesson stuff. Any baby that wakes is brought down to join us. Lunch is 11:30-12:30 with diapers and naps right after. Kids are allowed to sleep till 3:00. Often those that have a morning nap are not down till 1:30 and especially if they require a bottle before bed as I do that after others are down. It gives me a chance to sit and relax too - I like cuddling the little ones - my own are 18 years old and up.

A lot depends on the hours the kids are in care. Some of my daycare kids arrive starting at 6:45 so they have been up almost an hour by that point. By 9:00 they have been up 4 hours so time to sleep.

Mostly I find parents don't get the kids into bed soon enough at night so what they are really doing is making up for night sleep with a 2 hour morning top up. And as I said, as long as they sleep in the afternoon they can sleep all morning if they want. We don't go out till after afternoon naps because of morning schedules but that doesn't bother me.

[lilac]

When I had my morning napper (teachers kid) she arrived by 7, she had a bottle at 8 and down for a nap at 8:30 depending on how long it took her to fall asleep, I usually get her up at 9:30 otherwise our afternoon nap is shot. Lunch and then bottle at 11:30, afternoon nap at 12 or shortly after as we have to be up and out the door by 2 for the school run. She rarely slept a whole 2 hours, usually only 1hr. Then she goes home at 3:30. By Sept she will be 15, almost 16months, so the morning nap will be done, (it was on its way out when she was here in June)!

[Sandbox Sally]

I was wondering about this too. Right now, I have two the same age...22 months, and our nap time is 12:30 til 2:30 or 3. This is working out very well for us.

I have two new kids starting next month though, and both still have two naps. I did make it clear in the paperwork though that I would not be sitting around the house for AM naps, as I have two active toddlers, and we are on the move every morning by 10 at the latest. The new parents were ok with AM naps in the stroller.

lilac, I really like the idea of getting the little one down by 8:30 or so, and then only an hour...then we could be gone again by 9:30 or 10! I will try this. Maybe this will get them to phase out morning nap altogether before school starts. I do have three kids of my own, but my oldest is more than capable of getting them all there safely and on time. However, I'd rather walk them, as it's just a nice ritual, and it gets me out of the house early in the morning as well.

Guess we'll have to see...

[mom-in-alberta]

I will allow a morning nap as long as it doesn't begin to interfere with afternoon nap. I currently have an almost 19 month old that still goes down for a quick sleep in the morning. I put him down after snack at 9:30, and limit it to an hour or less. Afternoon nap is immediately after lunch, which is between 12 and 12:30. Wipe up, diaper change, and typically all the small ones are in bed and asleep by about 1. Whatever time I put them down, quiet time lasts for 2 hours from that point. A couple of them struggled with it at first, but now when I am wiping thier hands and faces they are asking for "seeps" and waving night-night to the other kids!

[lilac]

I originally had hoped this little one would sleep in the stroller on the way to/from school in the morning, but forget it, its too exciting with the kids around!

[sunnydays]

Mine all just have one nap from 12 months on. If they fall asleep in the stroller, I let them sleep for half an hour or so and then wake them up so it doesn't interfere with afternoon nap. They adjust pretty quickly. We are out most mornings, so I wouldn't be able to give them morning naps at home as we leave by 9am normally to head to the park or playgroup etc.

[Judy Trickett]

We only have one naptime here. It is from Noon until 3pm. ALL the children nap here. ALL of them. It is mandatory.

I might have a twice a day napper when they first start but within a month I usually have them transitioned to one long nap.